Swamp Thing Vol 2 109

"The Quest for the Elementals - Part VI: A Descent of Shadows": In Brazil, the forces of The Grey fight brutally with the protectors of The Green. Unfortunately, The Green has been weakened significantly by having its energies spread out across several elementals at one time, and The

Synopsis for "The Quest for the Elementals - Part VI: A Descent of Shadows"

In Brazil, the forces of The Grey fight brutally with the protectors of The Green. Unfortunately, The Green has been weakened significantly by having its energies spread out across several elementals at one time, and The Grey is becoming too strong.
Emerging from within the memory receptacle of the elemental that was once Matango, Swamp Thing has learned that because the Parliament's founders share his memories, Matango's conversion to The Grey was a potentiality for him as well, under the same circumstances. With Swamp Thing returned, Eyam reveals that Tuuru, the new leader of the Parliament of Trees, has selected a team of elementals to join him on his journey into The Grey to save his family. They begin climbing the rotten trunk that is half of Yggdrasil's helix, leading into The Grey.
Within Tefé Holland's Nest of Visions and the rotted part of Yggdrasil's trunk, Abby Holland demands that she and her daughter be returned to their physical bodies. She turns to her daughter for guidance, but Tefé responds that they are already in the grove of the Inner Parliament (which is true, in as much as their bodies are there).
Suddenly, Tefé's butterfly guardians fly away at the sight of an approaching figure. He introduces himself as the tongue of Matango and demands that they drink from the cup of The Grey, and be converted. Abby refuses, but without the butterflies' protection, the fungus from the cup spreads, and begins climbing her legs. Sensing her mother's upset, Tefé releases a blast of Green energy, destroying their visitor, guiding her father to her and weakening Matango such that flowers blossom in the heart of The Grey.
Matango scoffs at the growth of the flowers, but he is obviously worried. Ohtehrah, a neutral elemental that he has captured warns that the resources Matango has used to consume all of The Green's souls has weakened The Grey. Not to mention that there are some within The Grey's collective who grow tired of Matango's megalomania.
Swamp Thing finds his way to Abby and Tefé, embracing them. He explains that the Yggdrasil that Abby met there is not the same that she met in the Parliament, because it the half of him that is possessed by The Grey. He has Canan Kax return his family to their bodies before continuing with his companions down into The Grey.
Deep in the heart of Matango's hideaway, they discover the discarded skins of those elementals that he converted to The Grey. They sense that these skins still have some connection to The Green. Matango accosts them, and Swamp Thing asks why, if he is fully committed to the expansion of The Grey, he keeps the remains. Matango reveals that so long as The Green exists, he cannot destroy them.
Matango attacks, and Swamp Thing commands his friends to hid beneath the discarded skins, safe in the knowledge that he cannot destroy them. At a standoff, the elementals realize that Matango cannot hear their thoughs, and they place a section of Matango's discarded skin into the cup that they found earlier. As a distraction, the elementals animate the skins, and move as if to attack Matango. However, this gives Swamp Thing enough time to get close, and he force-feeds Matango his own discarded skin, severing his connection to The Grey.
Swamp Thing is revived by Ohtehrah, who introduces himself as the new leader of The Grey. The war between The Green and The Grey has ceased, for now. Matango is trapped in his own Chamber of Dreams, with guards posted, lest he awake. However, The Grey still wishes to renew their race on the Earth. To keep them at bay, Ohtehrah has promised only that should man and The Green falter and collapse, he would assert The Grey's right to replace them. He hopes that Tefé and her descendants will keep that from happening.
Those taken prisoner during the war have been released, and those converted have been given the opportunity to eat their discarded skins and return to The Green. Some members of the Parliament have decided to remain in The Grey to help keep its spirits at peace. Tuuru is leading the Parliament now in rebuilding, while Yggdrasil is coming to terms with his dual nature, and will act as ambassador between the two realms.
Later, Swamp Thing and his family prepare to leave, but they are suddenly interrupted by the arrival of The Shining Knight, who has spent the last twenty years in the Timestream in search of the Swamp Thing. However, he is not particularly put out by the fact that the Swamp Thing has already returned.
Swamp Thing recalls that Shining Knight had dealt with the Holy Grail in the past, and gives the grey cup over to him, asking him to hide it. As Shining Knight departs with the artifact, Abby declares that she feels hopeful that she and her family can explore their lives now, with all their smaller quests completed.